Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-02-19
without lapse or break; and then, in tho
light of the new day, her greedy gaze de-
voured its purport as follows:
"ST. JOINS WooD, LONDON,

IL
light of the new day, her greedy gaze de-
voured its purport as follows:
EST. JOINS WOOD. LONDON,
| January p, IS.
ARCHIBALD MoNTEITH-At last, as
Your LAWYER informs me, YOU have got your
wishl Influence, powerful friends, and
money have aided you; and the law that
makes you free man, with the option of
marrying again, makes me, your wife,
despised, degraded woman, an outcast and
alone!
But do not gtter yourself that you will
be rid of me, Arohy Monteith!
Wv hltherscever you may go, l will fol-
low you, aid haunt you, and disturb your
peace.
SHOULD you ever marry again, l will
SOW yo>r path and hers with dragons
teeth.
You may seek new scenes and new
identity; you may even change your name,
in accordance with the conditions by which
you can inherit the rich Canadian estates
under your grand uEcle's will, and be
known hereafter as Archibald Delorme,
In lieu of Archibald Montieth; you may be
n fugitive to the enos of the earth, but
will pursue and hunt you still, with the
hate. the resentment, the despair, which
yon have earned eternally from
"EsTELLE."
Hilda's cheek blanched, and she sank
fainting on couch near at hand, dropping
the fatal letter and newspaper with a stited
cry. These two witnesses corroboratad
one another, and the shock overpowered
her tor an instant.
Recovering herself with q mighty effort
of will, she realized that the terrible mvs-
terry was explained. She had married di-
vorced mana man who had another wife
| still living! She felt Il creeping sense of
horror and humiliation. The law might
have given this man the ri9htto marry her,
but heaven could never have done SO.
Death alone could sever the sacred mar
riage tie. She had always held to this
principle by the most solemn conviction. as
her parents had done before her. Taking
advantage of the obscurity afforded his
antecedents by his change of name, Archi-
bald Delorme "a divorced man,
a still married man in the eyes
of God, as she firmly believed -
had practiced deliberate and cowardly
deception in leading her 10 the alt,r.
Could she ever forgive? No, no. fury and
indignation were taking the place OF hu-
initiation and shame in her bosom.
| While she was a prey to these violent
emotions, and striving to deliberate, a step
sounded on the corridor just outside her
| door.
Thinking it might be her husbands, she
sprang to the door and opened it, with the
intention of wildly confronting him with
I the womanly feelings he had outraged.
| But the step proved to be that of the
aged housakeeper, on her way down stairs
to begin the duties of the new day.
Mrs Saunders" cried Hilda, suddenly
seizing her arm, "you have been long in
the Service of this old mansion; tell me
| what was my husbands name before he as
sumed that of the former proprietor here?"
BLESS you maam, and have YOU been
ignorant of it all this time?' exclaimed the
old woman, not q little alarmed by her
| young mistress excited manner. He was
Mr.. Archibald Montieth until my old mas
ters death some five years ago, when he
| took the same name of Delorme, in order
! to inherit the property"
| Hilda regained her self-c control by
| great effort.
Il was, strangely enough, not aware of it
before" said she. Gas soon as you see EIr.
Delorme this morning, Mrs. Saunders, pray
tell him not to quit the house without Gee
| ing me"
She re-entersd her houdoir, closing the
door behind her. But she had no sooner
crossed the floor to the open window than
sne uttered another half-stl cry.
There, in the fresh morning light, far
away upon the edge of the cliffs. she saw
the same woman walking that she had OBJ
served on the evening before, and her hus-
| band was walking at her side.
| "Oh, this is too much. | will con front
both tosether!" exclaimed Hilda, wildly,
putting on her hat AMI shawl. at is I'M
doub,edly that woman-Estelle! l will
know whether he belongs to her or mel"
| She rushed out of the room, out OF the
house, and made her way directly toward
the two figures through the timber belt that
lay between the house grounds and the
cliffs. But upon getting out of the wood
she perceived that they occupied a precipi-
tous headland, known as Indian Head,
which she could only reach by first descend
ing through gap i'll the cliffs to the waters
edge, and then making her way along the
narrow shore to flight of rude stone steps
that led up alon side Of the headland
The way was a toilsOme and difficult one,
and not unattended with danger should the
tide be coming on, but she hesitated not
a moment in pursuing it, and kept her
jealous gaze fastened upon tie couple on
Indian Head till she dipped Down below the
cliffs. which shut them from her view.
The tide was luckily at ebb, and, upon
reaching the shore, she eagerly made her
way along is narrow strip of sand, with
| WIN eAo sot dlluoob NoouluS ueI lcel upon
one hand and the perpendicular wall of
rock upon the other, and without noticing
| the attention she was eXcit ng among the
fishermen, who were preparing their boats
for sea or m onding their nets at intervals
along the beach.
! Indian Head was a steep precpice, of
| great height, jutting far out into the sea.
! When Hilda had reached its base, after
toilsome march, she paused, painting
breathlessly, before seeking the foot of
the steps which she had determined to as
| cend.
| She had recovered her energies, and was
! just turning away, when piercing scream
"A womans scream--over her head riveted
her to the spot. Then human body came
punging and bounding down the rrecipice,
and the next instant lay crushed and man
| gled ut her feet.
| 1t was the woman whom she had seen
walking with her husband on the cliff but
short time before.
| The poor mangled creature was not
quite dead, but moancd piteously a. she
was raised up by some fshernen, who hur-
| ried upon the scene after witnessing the
catastrophe.
| Speak" cried IIilda, suddenly starting
out of the spell of horror that had momen-
tarlly enchanted her, and glar,ng at the
face of the sufferer with starring eye balls.
"Are you Estelle?"
The woman made faint sign in the af-
trmative, and then expired.
Hilda never knew how she made her way
hnp hon oh, I